


Burning

by v_amber



Series: i will take a hammer and FIX the canon [1]
Category: Gorillaz
Genre: M/M, So tread carefully, a bit of language in ch 6 but nothing major, i'll add more tags as i go cause idk what im doing hfeajodksl, like nothing like that happens in the fic but he mentions how murdoc used to treat him, lowkey internalized homophobia, some minor mentions of blood in chapter 5 but nothing graphic, uhh warning for like?? abuse? kinda?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-05-28 20:08:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15056825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/v_amber/pseuds/v_amber
Summary: 2D's got a lot to work through. Lucky for him Ace is there to help.





	1. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhhhh this is like.. the second fic i've ever written and?? the other one was like a year ago so don't be too harsh on me fjioakrglst  
> i just wanted some nice gay content and i was kinda (really) inspired by the fic Progress by @bettycrocker on tumblr who's fic got me majorly into 2ace

Ace liked to think he was a clever man.

 

He liked to think he had street smarts, that he was quick on his feet and good in a pinch. This kind of pinch, however, wasn’t something he expected to be faced with.

 

Right there in front of him, 2D was cowering on the couch like a kicked puppy. The man who had been his idol for years, and his friend for weeks, was sitting there quivering and making little choked noises like he was pointing a gun at him.

 

Ace blinked, looked from 2D to his still raised hand, and back again. He slowly lowered it and gauged 2D’s reaction. Ace could at least tell he was breathing now, even if he was clutching at his chest like he was going to have a heart attack. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise Ace if he did.

 

He didn’t know if he should sit back down next to Stu or walk away or _what_ \- the victory screen on the game they’d been playing was still running on loop. They’d been fighting a rather difficult boss when 2D had finally landed the final blow, finishing it off. Ace had jumped up in excitement, and after a short cheer, whirled around to high-five Stu- who had promptly yelped and jerked backwards.

 

And now, here he was, trying to figure out how to approach the terrified man. He decided to settle on getting his attention, and cleared his throat. Stu jumped a little and looked up at him.  
  
“You, uh… you okay there man?”

 

That seemed to be what it took to snap 2D out of his head; he started to speak, picking at his nails. “Uh, yeah! I’m- I’m fine, it’s nothin,” he trailed off with a quiet, awkward laugh. “I’m just, uh. A little on edge tonight, I guess.”

 

Ace smiled sympathetically and moved to reclaim his spot on the couch, albeit slowly. Something in his gut told him these weren’t normal jitters- or maybe it was just the way 2D had freaked out. Either way, something wasn’t sitting right with him, and he suspected a certain jailbird had something to do with it.

 

During his time with the band he had heard bits and pieces of how Murdoc used to treat Stu, and none of them were good; some of the things 2D would say offhandedly would leave his gut twisting in anger. He could hardly comprehend how someone would put up with that kind of treatment for _years_ , and even then he knew he hadn’t heard half of it.

 

He didn’t really know how to approach the subject, though- or if he should at all. It wasn’t really any of his business, but he couldn’t help the need to smooth things over. But he was the one who triggered this, after all, so maybe it _was_ his business. After a few seconds of deliberation and admittedly awkward silence, he spoke.

 

“So, uh… Murdoc, yeah?”

 

…

 

Way to go genius.

 

Stu cocked an eyebrow and glanced at him out of the side of his eye. “Uh, yeah. Murdoc... What about ‘im?”

 

“Not the greatest guy, huh?” Ace chuckled weakly.

 

“...Yeah?” Stuart turned his head to fully look at him.

 

Ace leaned his head forward a little, silently encouraging him to continue. Stu wet his lips and looked back at the T.V., focusing on the looping graphics. “Yeah. Yeah, Murdoc.” His gaze hardened and he took a deep breath. “It really is a relief to have ‘im in jail. I don’t want him back anytime soon. Actually, never would be better.” He let his head drop and watched his sneakers scuff the floor. “Treated me like garbage, that jerk…”

 

He’d only mumbled the last part, but Ace caught it nonetheless. This was the first time Ace had gotten him to talk about this stuff, so he was paying close attention.

 

“You know? He’d beat up on me for the stupidest little things. Didn’t matter _what_ I was doin’, if he was in a bad mood it was just my fault, plain and simple.” He began kicking at the floor with more force. “I just don’t get it, y’know? What did I do to deserve that kind of treatment, why-” his breath hitched and he trailed off. Ace hesitantly put an arm around him and Stu gratefully leaned into the half-embrace. When he next spoke he seemed ridiculously small for a man who was over six feet tall. “..why me?”

 

Stuart seemed to be done for now, and just sat in Ace’s arms- who was completely at a loss of what to do. Yes, he had finally gotten 2D to open up, but now how did he help him? This was clearly a lot bigger than he first thought, and he just didn’t know how to take it on. He had no idea how 2D hadn’t already fallen apart, honestly. He glanced down at him, and took a moment to just feel the anger, the bitter hurt radiating off of him. Ace thought for a second, gathered his words, and-

 

and Stu beat him to it. “It’s not your fault, you know.”

 

Ace’s mouth snapped back shut as Stuart began to talk again.

 

“S’not your fault you scared me. It’s _his_ .” Ace didn’t have to ask who “he” was. “See, a normal person would see you jump up after we beat the boss, and think, ‘oh, yeah, he’s happy,’, but I’m not normal. I’m _messed up_ and _weird_ and _he_ did that to me. Cause when I saw you jump up I thought, ‘oh no, he’s mad ‘cause I got the final hit,’. And when you turned around with your hand up of COURSE the first thing I’d think is ‘oh, i’m going to be hit.’ Of fucking course. Because that’s just what, that’s what he did to me, I’m all twisted around and my brain is all tangled up and I’m not normal, and it’s his- he- it’s because he-” Stuart broke off into a frustrated sob and Ace frantically pulled him into his chest, whispering little reassurances.

 

 _“It’s okay stu, he’s not here, he can’t hurt you, it’s not your fault, I love you, you’re perfect the way you are-”_ He maybe said more than he should have but that was okay, because 2D wasn’t really all the way there. He was buried in his head with his thoughts, heaving sob after shuddering sob. Ace’s shirt was getting all wet and snotty but that was okay. He was Stu’s anchor right now, and he was gonna stay right here and tether him.

  
He’d known Stuart was a little screwed up from how Murdoc treated him, but he hadn’t realized it was quite this bad. All it took was a few minutes for him to completely break down, and they hadn’t even gotten into the more serious side of the things Murdoc’d done. When Stu said he was “messed up” because of Murdoc, Ace suspected he meant more than just flinching at sudden movements; after all, Murdoc rammed him in the head with a car. Twice. And that’s bound to have some neurological effects, no matter how hard-headed you are.

 

The more he thought of it, the more he wanted to wrap Stu up in a blanket and protect him for the rest of his life. The man just didn’t deserve any of the tragedies that life had thrust upon him- though it was more so Murdoc’s doing than life. He supposed the best he could do was take him to his bed- it was getting late. A quick glance at the clock told him it was already midnight- man, they’d been playing games a lot longer than he realized.

 

He shifted the still-shaking lump that was Stu to rest more comfortably against him, and gently whispered, “Hey, it’s pretty late man, how about we turn in for the night?”

 

Stuart made an affirmative noise and nodded, then slowly disentangled himself from Ace and stood up. He stretched, sniffled a little, and looked at Ace. Ace just kinda… stared back for a bit before it clicked that he was waiting for him. He jerked to his feet and ended up awkwardly flailing, making 2D giggle quietly. Ace righted himself and slipped his hand into Stuart’s because that was what felt natural, and they sauntered off down the hall.

 

Stu stopped once they reached his room, and pulled his hand from Ace’s to open the door. He took a step forward- paused in the doorway- and then spun around and hugged a startled Ace.

 

“Thanks..” Stuarts voice was soft, and he gave Ace an even softer look after pulling away. He turned back around and slipped into his room, and the lock clicked quietly into place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! the fic i was talkin about in the beginning is Progress by slowburn (their name on archive) and y'all should read it!! it's really good  
> leave a comment letting me know what u think, and u can find me on tumblr at v-amber-arts


	2. Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> skrrt chapter two babeyy! i was rlly excited to explore 2d's mind, i hope y'all like it

Stu let out a breath after he locked the door, then turned and walked over to the bed, collapsing on it. He groaned and ran a hand down his face. Why did he  _ say _ all that? Why did he DO all that??

 

Why did he always lose all self restraint whenever Murdoc was involved?

 

It was absolutely infuriating. They’d been having fun, he was  _ relaxed,  _ they were laughing and happy and acting like normal friends and all it took was a flash of green in the corner of his vision to ruin that all. All it took was one too-fast movement and he was cowering and being comforted like a child that had a nightmare.

 

What kind of forty year old man breaks down crying into another man’s chest just because he got spooked? It was  _ stupid _ and he was absolutely pissed at himself. He’d managed to keep it together so well in front of Ace the past few weeks, and now that he’d finally gotten comfortable around him he went and pulled this little stunt.

 

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew logically that he couldn’t help having that kind of reaction. It was only natural after living with Murdoc for years upon years. It only made sense. But that didn’t change the fact that he thought it was stupid, that he felt stupid for breaking down in front of Ace like that. 

 

He’d tried to hold it together, he really had. But all it took was some gentle prodding from Ace and he’d just… let it all go. Poured his soul out. It was humiliating to know someone else knew all that about him, knew about some of the thoughts he’d kept to himself for who knows how long.

 

He didn’t understand why he did it, or what it was about Ace that coaxed such honesty out of him. Sure, he had taken a particular shining to him, but he’d only known him for a few weeks. What about him led Stuart to spill his guts about things he hadn’t said to his closest friends for years? Why Ace, but never Noodle or Russel?

 

Sure, he’d opened up about other things to them, real personal things that the thought of telling other people would make his heart seize up, but he could just never get himself to open up about the troubles he held with Murdoc.

 

Stuart sighed and rolled onto his side. All this crying and emotional junk was starting to give him a headache. He’d sleep it off but all these thoughts wouldn’t let him if his life depended on it.

 

He looked at his alarm clock; One am. He sighed again and sat up, looking out the window. The skies were pretty clear right now.. or as clear as they could be in (insert city?????). He leaned up against the windowsill and traced shapes in the sky with his eyes, letting his mind drift again.

 

What would Ace think of him after seeing all that? He seemed pretty okay with it at the time, (hell, he’d CUDDLED the man,) but what if it was just a front? Maybe he just wanted to stay in good graces with the band.

 

Stuart’s eyes trailed a shooting star across the sky. Huh, that was nice. He idly wondered what Ace was doing. Had he gone to sleep? Was he still up thinking about something or another? Maybe he was playing his bass. He hummed to himself and found another star to gaze at.

 

Would Ace treat him any differently tomorrow? He didn’t want the man to start babying him, or holding back his actions or anything like that. He didn’t want Ace to not act like himself. He liked who Ace was and would be devastated if he acted differently just because of one little slipup. 

 

They’d been forming a bit of a tentative friendship ever since Ace had showed up. Well, it was really only tentative on Stuart’s part; but who could blame him? It was only natural to be weary of someone who was replacing Murdoc, of all people. He’d been enjoying the ease that had been settling over him and Ace. It was nice, felt natural. Being around Ace felt natural.

 

And he was terrified he’d fucked that all up.

 

All because he couldn’t hold in his stupid emotions.

 

The room was starting to feel too small. Stuart opened the window and stuck his head out, letting the breeze blow through his hair, through his thoughts. Letting his breath be carried away by the wind. He craned his neck to look back up at the sky, taking in the stars once more. It was nice to remember how small he really was sometimes.

 

Yeah, small wasn’t a word that would typically be used to describe him, but if you thought about how big the universe really was it seemed justified. When he thought about how big the universe was it made his problems feel smaller, insignificant. Made him feel like he could breathe.

 

Maybe that was all he really needed. Just.. to breathe. It was sure as hell helping right now. Guess he never really realized how much a few minutes of just peace could calm his mind. It wasn’t like he could get them that often when Murdoc was around, and it simply hadn’t occurred to him to step away for a little while now that he was gone. Fear tends to do those kinds of weird things to you, tends to plant thoughts in your head. Tends to tell you things that aren’t true.

 

But out here, with the stars shining down on him, he felt comfortable. It was dark, and it was open, and normally being out at night would make someone uneasy but he felt like he was in his rightful place. Like he couldn’t be touched. The dark meant he couldn’t be seen, meant he was safe. The dark meant he could see the stars, whisper his secrets to them. Let them take some of the weight off his burdened soul.

 

He worked his way back inside and pulled the window mostly closed, leaving a crack for a small breeze and the distant sounds of traffic to bleed through. He laid back down, letting the white noise of the city lull him to sleep. Maybe what had happened wouldn’t be so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaAah sorry this one's short!! i just got a big ole burst of motivation yesterday and i felt like where i ended it was the perefect spot! the chapters will most likely get longer in the future i've just gotta like.. get in the swing of things y'know? plus i wrote this chapter in one day so like jfdsklaf  
> thank you for reading! lemme know what you thought in the comments! you can find me on tumblr at v-amber-arts


	3. Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hrejnskdafslakfjds sorry all my chapters are so short!! i'm just a stinky who gets impatient and wants to post

Ace sat at the table, idly poking at a bowl of cereal while he let his mind drift.

 

Last night definitely was… something. Ace sure couldn’t say he’d ever expected to find 2D in his arms, shaking and crying and pouring his soul out. Though he was oddly… proud? He liked seeing the different sides of Stuart, getting to know him in a way the public eye wasn’t allowed to. It sounded kinda weird now that he said it to himself though. But, last night was proof to him that he was really and truly becoming a part of the band.

 

At least, he hoped it was. He kept telling himself Stu opened up because he trusted him, but this definitely felt like something that had been building up for some time. Things he’d say to himself at night when he couldn’t sleep, thoughts that plagued his mind time and time again and stacked up. Things that were gonna find their way out eventually, one way or another.

 

Really, all things considered, it was just pure chance that he’d slipped in front of Ace, and not Noodle or Russel. But then again… it did seem like he was trying to keep himself in line. He didn’t really start talking until Ace had offered him a chance. So maybe he _did_ decide he could trust Ace after all?

 

But then-

 

“Man, you’re gonna give yourself an aneurysm if you keep glaring at your cereal like that.” Ace just about jumped a foot in the air when Russel spoke up from beside him. When had he come in? “What’s up with you?”

 

“Oh, morning Russ- nothing’s wrong. Just ah.. not quite awake yet.” Ace flashed him a smile and then spooned some (now soggy) cereal into his mouth.

 

“Aight, if you say so.. don’t think that’s a reason to be glaring at your cereal like it kicked your puppy though,” Russel chuckled to himself and went off to make something or another to eat. “If you don’t like that kind you don’t gotta eat it,”

 

Ace huffed out a little laugh and pushed his bowl away, grabbed his phone, and started tapping mindlessly through social media.

 

After a few minutes Noodle made an appearance, throwing a couple pastries into the toaster and hopping up to sit on the counter. She glanced around and looked to Russel. “Where’s 2D? he’s usually up by now,”

 

Russel shrugged, and Ace answered without thinking. “He’s probably a little worn out after last night.” He kept scrolling through his phone before realizing the kitchen had gone oddly silent. He looked up to find Noodle and Russel staring at him. “What?”

 

Noodle giggled a little. “Nothing. Congratulations, Ace,” Now he was _really_ confused. Russel smirked and shook his head a little, turning back to the oven. “You and ‘D, huh? I didn’t see that comin.”

 

Oh. OH- Ace choked a little- “No, no no! I didn’t- that’s not what I-” Noodle started laughing harder, doubling over- Russel reached over and placed a hand on her stomach to stop her from falling off the counter, and was trying to suppress his own laughter. Ace rolled his eyes affectionately and grabbed his bowl to go clean it out. He was definitely not gonna finish this soggy mess.

 

Right as he stood up to walk to the sink, Stuart entered the room. Their eyes met for a few seconds before he pointedly looked away. Ace, a little put off, walked to the sink.

 

Stu looked at Noodle and Russel, who were still reeling themselves in. “What’s so funny?”

 

Ace interjected a quick “ _Nothing!_ ” before either of them could speak, which somehow was even funnier to them, if how they started laughing again was anything to judge by. Ace ducked his head and focused on rinsing his bowl to hide his blush.

 

Once the bowl was clean he slipped by Stuart, who was rummaging in the fridge, and off back into the room he was staying in for the time being. He didn’t really feel like dealing with anymore awkward interactions with 2D.

 

~~~~~~

 

Stuart looked up and watched Ace leave the room, cringing a little. Was he really that averse to being around him after last night? He sighed and turned back to the fridge, settling on some toast for breakfast. He grabbed a piece of bread and popped it in the toaster after Noodle pulled her pastries out, and crossed to the other side of the kitchen.

 

He could practically feel her calculating stare on the back of his head. He fidgeted nervously- did she know? Did Ace say anything? The silence in the kitchen was starting to feel suffocating, and he was scared to even swallow. He was almost grateful when Noodle finally spoke. Almost.

 

“How are you this morning, 2D?” She sounded careful.

 

“I’m doin just fine.” If she was gonna be careful, then he would be too. Two could play at this game.

 

“You’re up late.” Noodle sounded almost like she was pouting. 2D turned around and- yep, she was. She was leaning on the counter, eating her strudels, and she was pouting. Stuart couldn’t help but smile-  she looked just like she did when she was little, upset because he didn’t wake up early to play with her. He remembered exactly how her little voice would sound with her cries of “toochi! tooochiii!” when she’d try to wake him up.

 

His toast popping up shook him out of his reviere, and he turned around to grab it. “Yeah, jus’ tired I guess,”

 

Noodle looked like she was about to speak again, but Russel beat her to it. “Man, quit beatin around the bush, what’s up with you? Something obviously happened last night,” He dumped his eggs on a plate and turned around.

 

Stuart looked to Russel, and then back to Noodle. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to tell them at least the gist of what happened, right? He knew Noodle would always back him up, and Russel was definitely one of the most gentle people in the band.

 

He looked down at his feet and shuffled around awkwardly. “I, uh… well, y’know- I just..” He looked back up and met Noodle’s eyes. She was being so patient with him- she always has been. It was a nice contrast to Murdoc, who’d easily irritate and smack him upside the head if he didn’t get his words out fast enough.

 

But Murdoc wasn’t here.

 

He relaxed a little at that thought, and spoke more easily. “Well, I… I kinda said a lot to Ace last night. Y’know, emotion-wise.” Noodle leaned her head in a little- the same way Ace had last night to encourage him. Huh. Maybe that was why it’d worked so well.

 

There wasn’t really much else he wanted to say about this, though. So he just shrugged. Noodle accepted that and leaned back again, taking a bite of her pastry.

 

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” 2D looked to Russel when he spoke. “I mean, you’ve broken down in front of us plenty of times and we still treat ya just the same,”

 

2D winced a little and Noodle shot Russel a look. “What Russel’s saying is it’s never made us look at you any differently, and from how Ace was acting this morning he does not think any less of you either.” She smiled gently at him. “I think you should go speak to him. He seems to have gotten the wrong idea from you,”

 

Stuart nodded and bit his lip; now that he thought about it it made sense that Ace would avoid him after he’d pointedly ignored him. “Yeah… yeah, thanks Noods- you too Russ.”

 

Noodle and Russel spoke their respective “you are welcome,” and “no problem, ‘D” and Stuart made his way to Ace’s room.

 

He walked up to the door, took a deep breath, and knocked. Ace opened the door surprisingly quick. “Oh, Stuart!”

 

They stood there for a few seconds before Ace stepped aside. “Uh, come in?”

 

A couple forward and Stuart found himself in Ace’s temporary room. Well, here he was. Might as well get talking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you enjoyed!! lemme know what you thought in the comments, and you can find me on tumbr at v-amber-arts  
> im so excited to write next chapter heheheehe


	4. Popcorn and Toothpicks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter ended up pretty long AND i liked it when i reread it! so it's a win-win!! i hope u guys like it too <3

Ace was tidying the room a little; nothing drastic, just throwing some of the cigarette butts on the floor away. Yeah, he was a relatively messy man, but he still had standards that Murdoc apparently did not.

 

He was passing by the door to go grab more to toss when there was a knock so he pulled it open. “Oh, Stuart!” He was greeted by Stu’s fist still hanging in the air from knocking, and a startled expression on his face.

 

It was oddly cute.

 

What?

 

He shook that thought out of his head and stepped to the side. “Uh, come in?”

 

Stuart took a couple steps forward and Ace closed the door behind him. When he turned around Stu was already looking at him- he seemed on edge. Ace was a little confused as to why he’d be in here after avoiding him in the kitchen earlier but whatever, he wasn’t about to kick the man out.

 

“So, uhh, what’s on your mind?” Ace leaned on the wall and shoved his hands into his pockets. Stuart somehow seemed even more awkward standing in the middle of the room.

 

“Uh.. I just- mostly wanted to apologize for earlier.. in the kitchen,” He shuffled his feet and looked at Ace. “It was, ah… a bit rude of me.  I was just, um. Embarrassed I guess,” he chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

 

Ace, for one, was confused. He’d felt the need to apologize for not wanting to look him in the eye? Well, now that he thought about it, he _had_ slipped out of the kitchen pretty quickly after 2D’d shown up- though that was mostly due to Noodle and Russel. He figured he might as well go along with it, though.

 

“Oh, it’s no biggie, man! Thanks for comin’ to me about it, that was cool of ya,” He flashed a grin and tried to look relaxed. This seemed to put 2D at ease, who took a seat on the bed.

 

“So.. yeah. Uh, sorry for being weird about it.” He chuckled weakly and avoided eye contact.

 

“What? No, dude, you weren’t being weird!” Ace crossed the room to sit next to 2D. “From what I’ve heard, Murdoc’s put you through hell and back. Honestly I’m surprised something like this didn’t happen sooner,”

 

That caught Stuart’s attention. “Whaddya mean?”

 

Ace fumbled for his words. He didn’t exactly want to tell 2D he’d been up all night thinking about him, about the situation. Analyzing why and how it happened- it was just a little weird to do that honestly.

 

But seriously, how _had_ it not happened sooner? It only made sense that he’d flinch or get scared or, as happened last night, break down. Ace was, after all, taking place of the man who had been Stuart’s personal hell for who knows how long.

 

“Uh, well.. I’m jus’ sayin I know it’s probably hard for you to get over all that, yeah?” Ace watched Stuart process this- he looked thoughtful.

 

“Yeah.. yeah, that makes sense,” He turned to Ace and smiled. “Thanks. It, uh.. was nice having you there last night,”

 

“Yeah, of course! It’s no problem really,”

 

They both fell silent, just kinda… looking at each other. Neither of them had anything to say, so they were sitting in a silence that was, regrettably, not a comfortable one.

 

Stuart rocked up onto his feet. “Right! Well, I’ll uh- get outta yer hair now, heh,”

 

“Oh, bye-” 2D was already out the door before Ace could get his farewell out. he shrugged and stood up, going back to tidying the room.

 

~~~~~~

 

Stuart sighed and sank deeper into the couch; the day had passed uneventfully after he'd spoken to Ace in his room- well, besides 2D making an absolute fool of himself.

 

He groaned and dragged a hand down his face. Why did he always have to be so _awkward?_ The whole conversation they’d had earlier had been weird and rushed, and he’d bolted as soon as he saw the chance. After that, every time he saw Ace around the house he’d fumbled whatever it was he was doing. Badly.

 

When he was drinking some water Ace walked in and he’d choked, dropped his cup, and shattered it. When he was looking for the remote under the coffee table Ace had walked in and he’d jumped, slamming his head into the table- hard. The whole day was filled with other such blunders.

 

How many times did he have to act like a complete idiot before he learned to just calm down? Or before Ace stopped talking to him completely?? And why was he so wound up around him anyways? This was starting to feel like it was more than just their little altercation last night.

 

So now, here he was, sat on the couch with some zombie movie running on the T.V., deep in thought trying to figure out just what was _up_ with him. He didn’t seem to be getting anywhere though- and the movie wasn’t any help distracting him from all the chaos in his head as he’d seen it about a million times before.

 

At least Ace wasn’t here making things harder and- welp. Guess he jinxed himself. Because here comes Ace.

 

“Hey, what’re ya watchin?” he went ahead and sat himself next to Stuart on the couch.

 

“Jus’ some zombie movie,” He made a vague gesture towards the screen and somehow melted even further into the couch. He was gonna turn into a cushion at this rate.

 

“Don’t think I’ve seen this one before,” Ace wiggled into the couch, getting comfortable. Looked like he was staying. Great.

 

2D thought for a second on how to escape. “I’m- gonna go make some popcorn, gotta set the mood,” He stood up and trotted off into the kitchen, not waiting to hear Ace’s response- though all he did was hum in approval.

 

Once in the kitchen he threw a bag in the microwave and set it for a couple minutes, then leaned over the counter with a sigh. He couldn’t just keep avoiding Ace forever, so he might as well take this as a chance to get relaxed around him again. Besides, how hard could it be? They were just gonna watch a movie.

 

The microwave beeped and Stuart jumped a little, then went ahead and pulled the popcorn out and dumped it into a bowl so they could share. He walked back into the living room and set the bowl down, and Ace grabbed a handful with a quiet ‘thanks.’ 2D nodded in response and settled back into the couch.

 

They didn’t speak much throughout the movie; Ace was enthralled and 2D didn’t want to distract him from it. It really was a good movie, he’d just seen it too many times to be too interested. He did remember that there was a pretty spectacular jumpscare partway through though, and he was watching Ace out of the corner of his eye to see his reaction.

 

He could tell it was coming. The music in the movie was getting quiet and sinister, and the protagonist was inching through a dark room with only the light from his phone screen. The mood for the movie was definitely helped by the fact that it was now night out, and neither of the men had bothered to turn on any lights. The man on the screen kept making his way forward, getting closer and closer to the corner when- BAM, there it was- a zombie leapt out and took a swipe.

 

He was not let down; Ace made the most undignified squawk he’d ever heard and flailed his way off the couch- leaving 2D curling up with suppressed laughter. Ace scooted himself back up onto the couch, giving 2D’s shoulder a half-hearted shove.

 

“Oh, shut up-” he grabbed a handful of popcorn out of the bowl and tossed it at Stuart, who laughed harder and tried in vain to swat it out of the air- it stuck in his hair and Ace started snickering.  


“Oh, so that’s how you’re gonna be?” he grinned and grabbed a handful of his own, throwing it right back. Ace flailed again, swatting some of it back to smack 2D, who laughed even harder.

 

“ _Hey!_ ” He grabbed one of the throw pillows and, well, threw it.

 

“Woah, woah!” Ace fumbled under the pillow for a second. “That’s playin dirty, man!”  


“No it ain’t, it’s just street smarts.” Stuart crossed his arms proudly and stuck his nose up, missing the grin that was spreading across Ace’s face.

 

“Oh yeah? How’s this for street smarts?” Ace sounded… too smug.

 

2D turned back to him just in time to see his face as the popcorn bowl was dumped over his head, then placed daintily on like a hat. He was wearing the most ridiculous expression, looking like he was about to explode. Which he did. With laughter.

 

Stuart just sat there for a couple seconds, dumbfounded, and looked down at the popcorn covering his shirt.

 

“Hey Ace?”  


“Yeah Stu?”

 

He spread his arms wide. “How would you like a nice buttery hug?”

 

Ace scuttled back on the couch. “I’m good, thanks-”

 

“Aww, don’t be like that!” 2D flopped onto Ace with a sharp laugh- though because Ace had scooted back his face landed in his chest, muffling his laughter.

 

“StuaRT-” Ace started laughing as well. “Come on man, I’m all greasy now!”

 

“Hey, you started it!”

 

Ace just snorted and flicked a piece of popcorn out of 2D’s hair.

 

“What, you’re gonna let it all go to waste?” 2D grabbed a piece off his shoulder and ate it.

 

Ace raised an eyebrow- “You _want_ me to eat off of you?”

 

Stuart chuckled and sat back up, some popcorn falling off while he did so. “Alright, guess I didn’t really think that through.” He looked back up at the T.V.- the movie was pretty much over by now.

 

“Hope you weren’t looking forward to that ending,” He looked Ace once more, who just shrugged in response.

 

“Eh, I’ll live,” He stayed where he was, stretching across the couch a little and setting his feet in 2D’s lap. 2D went with it and sank into the couch for the nth time, settling in. He’d have to get up and get all this popcorn cleaned up sometime, but he was just so _comfortable._

 

Well, he had the excuse of Ace’s feet on his lap, so whatever. He let his head fall back and lazily eyeballed the T.V., not too interested in the cheesy comedy that had come on.

 

~~~~~~

 

2D groaned quietly and cracked his eyes open. Where was he? And why was he awake so  _early??_ It wasn’t even light out yet. He reached up to rub his eyes and sat up a little, wincing at his sore back. He glanced over and saw Ace laying next to him and then remembered last night. Right. He must have fallen asleep on the couch.

 

The T.V. was off- he assumed Ace did that- and he was still covered in popcorn. He shimmied into a more comfortable position and looked back at Ace, chuckling quietly. His mouth was open and he was drooling a little onto the couch. What a dork.

 

He pulled Ace’s feet off his lap and laid down more fully, somehow squeezing between Ace and the couch; stretching out felt heavenly on his back. He sighed contently, and fell back asleep.

 

When he next woke, it was to the sound of someone in the kitchen- and the smell of food. He stretched a little and realized Ace’s legs were on his back, having somehow gotten there while they’d slept. He didn’t really mind; Ace’s legs made an oddly nice blanket, and he was happy to simply lay and drift in and out of consciousness for a little while.

 

Not long after, however, he was shaken out of his peaceful dozing when he realized Russel was standing over him.

 

“Mornin’, Russ,” His voice was thick with sleep.

 

“Morning, D’, I made some eggs whenever you’re ready to get up.”

 

“Thanks,” Stu smiled at him and looked over his shoulder at Ace. He considered just tossing his legs off himself and getting up but decided against it; he was fine and Ace looked comfortable. It had been a long time since he’d felt this at peace and it was nice- he didn’t wanna move for fear that he’d end the moment too soon.

 

Though, those eggs did smell good. And he was pretty hungry… and also covered in popcorn. He’d forgotten about that last part.

 

He sighed and wiggled partially out from under Ace’s legs, then pushed them the rest of the way off. Ace made a little noise and rolled over, facing the back of the couch. Man, he was a heavy sleeper.

 

He went and got some eggs, thanking Russel again, and then walked back to the couch and sat down; Ace had curled up a little and there was just enough space for him. He curled his own legs up underneath himself and settled in.

 

A few minutes after he’d sat down Ace stirred and poked his head up. His hair was sticking up on one side and his glasses were askew- Stu smiled and jerked his head towards the kitchen.

 

“S’eggs in there. Russ made em,”

 

Ace straightened his glasses and ran a hand through his hair, making it… well, smoother than before at least. “Aw, sweet,”  


It took him a couple minutes to stretch and get up, though 2D couldn’t really judge- he’d taken much longer himself. Ace strolled back in with his own plate of eggs and cozied up on the other side of the couch, eating. It was quiet, but it was a comfortable silence.

 

Russel walked back in after a little while, and paused when he stepped on some popcorn. “Man, what did you guys even _do_ last night? This place looks like a warzone.” He shook his head and started walking off. “You’d better clean this up,”

 

Russel left the room, and Ace looked around and chuckled. “Man, I didn’t realize how much of a mess we made last night,”

 

Stuart scoffed in mock-offence. “We? _You_ threw the first handful, mister ‘I-can’t-handle-scary-movies’,”

 

“Hey, hey! I just don’t like jumpscares! And I mean come on, you were asking for it,”

 

“Oh, as if, anyone would laugh if they saw how you’d acted. You’d laugh at yourself!” 2D got up and walked into the kitchen to grab the broom and walked back to the living room. Ace took the hint and stood up, brushing the popcorn off the table into his hand.

 

They kept bantering back and forth the whole time they cleaned (and Ace may or may not have thrown a few more pieces of popcorn just for good measure) but eventually they got it done. And as much as he was having fun talking to Ace, Stuart was _really_ greasy. So once the broom was put away and the last of the popcorn tossed in the trash, he headed off to his room to shower.

 

The warm water felt wonderful, and he probably stayed in longer than he should have- but honestly? He couldn’t care less right now. Today was already shaping up to be a wonderful day, and he was embracing it.

 

Once he was out of the shower and dressed, he made his way back into the living room to see what everyone was up to. Noodle and Russel were playing some racing game, and he glanced around, wondering if Ace had gone back to his room.

 

Noodle, seemingly reading his mind, answered his unspoken question. “Ace went outside to have a smoke,”

 

Stuart nodded and headed towards the nearest outside door, planning to just poke his head out and say hello, when he spotted Ace through the window… squatting.

 

Squatting??? Why was Ace squatting? 2D walked up to the window and peered out and- oh- Ace was petting a little kitten. He supposed it was weird to be spying like this, but Ace was just being so _gentle_ and he looked so _nice_ just… sitting there, petting the cat. His mouth was moving, but Stuart couldn’t hear him through the glass.

 

After about a minute Ace stood up and turned around, and they made eye contact. Stuart blushed, embarrassed at having been caught, and waved meekly. Ace seemed unperturbed though and just flashed him a wide grin before walking in.

 

“Stu, man, did you see that kitten? It’s so _small_ ,” Ace was absolutely radiating excitement. He was nearly as adorable as the kitten like this.

 

Stuart couldn’t help but respond with the same level of enthusiasm, grinning back and saying, “Yeah! Lil’ thing’s so _fluffy_ ,”

 

Ace somehow smiled even wider, and walked hurriedly off to the kitchen, still talking. “Yeah! the thing looked so soft but when I went to pet it the poor little thing was just skin and bones. It was so friendly though, purring and bumping on my hand and all the like-” 2D had never heard Ace talk so fast- “and I thought, ‘this little guy doesn’t deserve to be out here all hungry,’ and I figured we probably had something laying around that a cat could eat! There’s always scraps of something or another,”

 

They reached the kitchen and Ace pulled open a cabinet, scanning up and down the cans. Stuart tried to help, but he wasn’t very good at identifying what an animal should or should not eat. He did feed a cat a creme egg once after all.

 

After a few seconds Ace made a little ‘ah!’ noise and straightened up, holding a can of tuna.

 

“This is perfect! Just gotta smash it up with a fork so the lil dude can eat it,” Ace opened the can and dumped it in the bowl, mashing it up like he said he would, and then hurried back to the door, 2D on his heels.

 

They walked out and the kitten was still there. It seemed happy to see Ace again; the thing was absolutely all over him.

 

Ace bent over, cooing and making soft noises at the kitten and 2D’s heart just about melted. Normally he’d be the one fawning over animals, but Ace just looked so happy and wonderful and- oh. Huh.

 

So that was why he’d been such a goof around him lately.

 

Honestly he should have realized he was developing feelings sooner than this. Guess he just couldn’t quite tell through his naturally awkward nature.

 

But really, how could he _not_ feel something for the man? He was clearly much more than just the tough guy appearance he had, that much had been obvious from the beginning. He wasn’t afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve when the situation called for it, and it was both endearing and comforting.

 

Stu watched as Ace placed the bowl down, muttering quiet things to the cat. Honestly, his voice sounded ridiculous when he spoke at such a high pitch, but Stuart could listen to him talk like that all day.

 

…though that kitten was _really_ cute-

 

2D squatted next to Ace and gently scratched it on its chin, and when it leaned into his hand he thought he was gonna die Right Then and There.

 

“Awwww, she likes you!” Ace sounded legitimately proud, and it wouldn’t surprise Stuart if he was.

 

“She?”

 

“Yeah, I checked just now,” Ace chuckled a little. “And she’s such a pretty little girl!” his voice tripped back up into the higher range again, and he started petting the cat once more.

 

Stuart didn’t think he could keep on living if this was the last time he got to see Ace like this. Well, hey, what’s he got to lose? Might as well go for it. “We should keep her.”

 

“What?” Ace stopped petting the cat for a second, and looked at 2D. “I mean… don’t get me wrong, I’d love to keep her, but do you really think Russel and Noodle’ll let us?”

 

“Noodle’s an animal lover too, and if this kitten makes her happy there’s no way Russel’s gonna be able to say no,” And there was no way Stu was gonna be able to leave the kitten out here, either- he’d be up all night thinking about the poor thing. “Also, if we give her a name, Russel _can’t_ just let her go. It’s, like, an unspoken law,”

 

Ace laughed a little. “Yeah, you’re right. But what do we name her?”

 

2D thought for a minute. “Uhh… toothpick? Cause she’s so thin?”

 

“You know? That’s actually pretty cute. And it’ll be hilarious if she grows up to be fat,” Ace snickered to himself and 2D smiled. He really didn’t expect his idea to get taken, he assumed Ace would come up with something better.

 

But, well, now that Ace had said yes he was already becoming attached to the name. “Alright. Toothpick it is.” He reached out and pet her again, and she made a little _mrrp_ noise and continued eating.

 

As they sat there in the grimy ally, petting the little kitten, 2D felt oddly complete.

 

He didn’t know what it was about Ace that just felt so _right_ but he wasn’t about to let it get away from him. Only problem was, he didn’t really know how to make it stay either.

 

Well, he’d just have to figure that part out later.

 

For now he was happy. And that was enough for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've always wanted a cat named toothpick, honestly. like my life goal is to find a nice wife and we can live in peace with our cat child named toothpick  
> fjskdal;jfklads ANYWAYS lemme know what you thought!! i'm satisfied with this chapter and i hope you guys are too!  
> you can find me on tumblr at v-amber-arts <3


	5. Shopping Carts and Healing Hearts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love these dorks and they love their cat

 

“Pleeeaaaasssee Russel?” Ace watched with mild amusement as 2D dropped to his knees, steepling his fingers and begging Russel to let them keep the cat.

 

“We can’t take in every random animal off the street, D’. Plus, we don’t know if it has any illnesses or anything like that, what if she gives one of us cat scratch fever-”

 

“Aw, Russ, I can take her to the vet! And I’ll be really careful with her.” 2D reached out to Russel, who brushed his hand away, unimpressed.

 

“A pet is a lot of responsibility, 2D. Last time you took care of one you gave it chocolate.”

 

“A cremé egg, actually.”

 

“Is that any better?” 2D didn’t respond; he just kept looking up at Russel with pleading eyes.

 

Russel tried to stand his ground, but 2D stood- well…  _ kneeled _ his even better. He was still hesitant, though.

 

“I don’t know… I mean, do you really think she’d get taken care of?” He looked at Ace, who had Toothpick in his arms, sleeping peacefully.

 

Noodle, who’d been sitting in the kitchen listening in, spoke up. “Aw, have some faith Russel, 2D and Ace will make a great mom and dad.”

 

2D chimed in with an enthusiastic “Yeah!”, making Noodle snicker. Ace rolled his eyes and walked up to Russel.

 

“Come on, man, you can’t let her just stay out in the cold tonight. Look how happy she is to be inside,” He held the cat up to Russel’s face, and she yawned, somewhat disgruntled after being jostled.

 

Russel’s expression softened up, and he was clearly unwilling to say no to the cat’s face- and Ace was most definitely going to use this to his advantage.

 

“Come on, jus’ hold her for a minute. I know you want to,” Ace pressed Toothpick into Russel’s chest and he begrudgingly took her. She curled up and went right back to sleep, unphased. A small smile wormed its way onto Russel’s face. Ace bit his lip to contain his grin and looked over his shoulder at Stuart, who was beaming right back up at him.

 

He turned back to Russel, who sighed, finally giving in. “Alright, you win, we’ll keep the kitten.”

 

Ace cheered and turned around to high-five or fist bump Stuart, or something along those lines, but found himself swept up into a hug. Not that he was complaining, though. He laughed and wrapped his arms around Stu, face burning a little when he caught Noodle smirking at them.

 

2D let go of Ace and dashed over to Russel, gently taking the kitten back.

 

“We’ve gotta get her used to the house!” He rushed off down the hall.

 

Ace wasn’t really sure if he’d been talking to anyone in particular, but he figured he might as well tag along and make sure Stu didn’t get too excited and hurt Toothpick. 2D carried her into his room, and set her on the bed, practically vibrating with excitement.

 

The cat situated herself on the bed, and curled up in a little ball, resuming her nap.

 

Stuart looked like his face would split with the grin he wore. “She likes it!!”

 

Ace chuckled. “Okay, what now? Watch her sleep?”

 

2D paused and hummed in thought. “Well… I dunno, I didn’t really think that far ahead.” He shrugged. “I guess… we do need to get cat food.”

 

Ace pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. “What, now?”

 

“I mean, yeah, there’s nothin stoppin us. It shouldn’t take that long to jus get cat food,”

 

Ace nodded. That sounded like solid reasoning to him. 

 

So, about twenty minutes later, Ace found himself pushing a shopping cart with Stuart inside it.

 

They were giggling like immature little high schoolers while Stu kept grabbing random stuff off the shelves and pulling it into the cart.

 

At one point he grabbed a bag of jumbo marshmallows (the things were the size of his fist! it was insane!) and slammed them into the cart with such force that it shook, and stared Ace dead in the eye as though challenging him.

 

Ace managed to maintain eye contact for a solid .05 seconds before he broke into laughter so hard it made his sides hurt. When he roped himself in enough to at least function, he looked up and saw Stuart wheezing with his head thrown back and shoulders hunched, clutching at his stomach.

 

It was oddly attractive.

 

Anyways, moving on- Ace didn’t think he’d laughed this hard in years, and it was definitely refreshing. Minus the pain in his abdomen, of course.

 

He looked down at all the things that had piled up in the cart- thanks, Stu- and shook his head a little.

 

“What do you plan on doing with marshmallows, jello mix, yarn and guacamole?” He looked at Stuart over his sunglasses.

 

“Oh, you know,” 2D dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

 

“No, I.. I don’t actually. Please, enlighten me,” Ace crossed his arms and leaned on the cart, waiting.

 

Stuart grinned. “I’m gonna send you to put them all back,”

 

“And what makes you think I’d do that?”

 

“You can’t say no to this face,” Stuart waved at himself, and Ace snorted.

 

“Damn, my one weakness, boys who’re pretty,” Ace watched, satisfied, as Stuart blushed and missed a beat. He didn’t stay down for long, though.

 

“I’m the face of the band for a reason,” He grinned and Ace laughed, finally grabbing the marshmallows and putting them back on the shelf.

 

“You got me there,” He started pushing the cart again, hunting down the aisles that the other items belonged in. 

 

It was taking them entirely too long to pick up just a bag of cat food but hey, Ace mused, they were having fun so what did it matter?

 

Ace was making his way down the pet aisle when 2D grabbed his shoulder. 

 

“Ace, look!” Ace glanced behind himself where Stu was pointing and saw some gimmicky little collars with rhinestones and bells and all the like.

 

He smiled and looked back to 2D. “You wanna get one for Toothpick, yeah?”

 

“Yeah!” 2D clambered out of the cart, nearly face planting, and Ace bit back a laugh.

 

He hurried over and grabbed a pink collar with a large bow and a bell in the middle. Leave it to 2D to pick one that was tacky yet endearing at the same time. Ace shook his head, smirking a little, and jerked his thumb towards the cart.

 

“Alright, throw it in,” He watched Stu hurry back over to do just that, and then walk further down the aisle to study the cat food.

 

Ace dragged the cart over to him. “It ain’t rocket science, man, just grab a bag and throw it in,”

 

“We have to get one she’ll like! What do you think tastes the best?” Stuart looked… way too thoughtful.

 

“Dude, I don’t know, I’ve never eaten cat food.” Ace looked at the bags, scanning for one that looked like a good brand.

 

Stuart huffed and rolled his eyes. “I know that, I mean which one do ya think would be the best?”

 

“What I think is that she’d be happy with anything. She’s a cat, man, as long as she can eat she’ll be happy,” Ace reached out and grabbed a bag. “Here, surf n’ turf, cats like fish.”

 

Stuart hummed. “Yeah, okay. That sounds good,”

 

They made their way to checkout and paid, and as they were walking down the parking lot they started joking around again. Ace wasn’t really sure how, but after a few minutes he was watching Stuart fly down the parking lot, holding onto the shopping cart, cheering him on. He wished he could pinpoint what it was about him that brought out the idiotic teenager in him, because it sure was exhilarating.

 

Well, until Stuart crashed, anyways.

 

The cart hit a parking stop and toppled over, sending Stu down with a loud yelp.

 

“ _ Shit- _ ” Ace ran over to him- he looked like he’d landed hard. “Stuart? Stu, man? You alright buddy?”

 

He rolled Stuart onto his back, who groaned in response. “I think I remember why I don’t do stupid teenage stuff anymore now,”

 

Ace laughed, a little giddy with relief. He was afraid Stu had hit his head or something. “Yeah, maybe we should just head home.”

 

He helped Stu up, who now had a slight limp, and then pulled the cart upright and wheeled it to the car. He tossed the cat food and collar into the back, and made sure Stuart sat safely in the passenger side before hurrying the cart over to return it.

 

He came back and sat in the car, and then reached up and turned the lights on and- oh. Wow. Looks like Stu  _ had _ hit his head- at least enough to make his forehead bleed. Guess he just couldn’t see it with how dark it had gotten outside.

 

“Shoot, man, why didn’t you say anything?” Ace rummaged around in the glove box to see if there were any band aids or a first-aid kit or just- anything, really. All he could find were some tissues and- well, that would have to do.

 

“‘Bout what?” Stuart was looking right at him when Ace sat back upright.

 

He hissed and flinched away a little when Ace reached up and dabbed at his forehead with a tissue. He pulled his hand back and showed 2D the bloody tissue, who just murmured a quiet ‘oh’.

 

“I uh… didn’t notice.” He reached up and absentmindedly traced a finger over the cut.

 

Ace sighed. “Alright well- hold still. I’ll at least wipe it off and we can clean it up when we get home.” He grabbed an old water bottle out of the cup holder and tipped some of the water into a handful of tissues.

 

He reached up with one hand, placing it under Stuart’s chin and gently holding his head in place while he reached up and wiped away the slightly dried blood. 2D bit down on his lip and Ace gently hushed him, whispering an apology.

 

He didn’t realize how close their faces had gotten until he finished wiping away what he could and looked into 2D’s eyes. He paused, startled by their proximity, and then took it in. Stuart’s spiky hair was brushing against his own forehead from this distance, and Ace was surprised to find he could see Stuart’s irises. They were a deep red, near-black color that normally would put one off but Ace actually quite liked them.

 

They both sat silently, long enough so that the lights inside the car clicked off and they were bathed in the orange glow from the streetlights outside. Ace was startled by how ethereal Stuart looked in this lighting. In an odd sort of… rugged way. Now, Ace knew those two words weren’t generally used in tandem with each other, but 2D had this odd sort of.. perfectly imperfect look about him that justified it.

 

Stuart shifted, and Ace realized he’d been sitting there staring at the other man’s face far longer than was socially acceptable. He jerked back and cleared his throat, turning back to the wheel and holding out some more tissues to Stuart.

 

“Uh.. use those to hold back the bleeding.” He dug the keys out of his pocket and jammed them into the ignition, not bothering to check if Stuart had done as he said.

 

He pulled out of the parking lot and they sat in a strange sort of silence. The kind you could only really achieve like this, in a car late at night, the only sound being the tires on the road and the radio near its lowest volume. The kind of silence that reminded you of being half asleep on a long drive home, listening to the voices of the others while they talked about something or another, nothing too relevant to your interests. The kind of silence that left you feeling settled in, but aching for the ride to end.

 

“Thanks.”

 

Ace jumped when Stuart’s voice broke into his train of thought. He’d spoken quietly, but he might as well have shouted with how silent it’d been. “Yeah. No problem, Stu.”

 

Luckily the drive home wasn’t long; they pulled up to the house, and Ace pulled the keys out and reached back to grab the food and collar, and they both stepped silently out of the car.

 

~~~~~~

 

Stuart looked up, surprised they were already back. That ride felt like it was going to last forever- though maybe that was because he kept getting lost in his thoughts. He wasn’t sure what caused the night to take such a sudden, solemn turn but it did, and he didn’t think he liked it very much.

 

Ace had cleaning his cut earlier was enough to send his brain into overdrive. He’d practically forgotten what it felt like to be cared for by another human being. Ace’s gentle hands on his jaw had shut him right up, and how close he’d gotten had only silenced him further.

 

He felt like the breath had been sucked out of his lungs when the car was flooded with the light of the parking lot- Ace looked… absolutely unreal. His face somehow gained a depth to it that Stuart had never seen there before.

 

After Ace had cleared his throat and turned away, shoving the tissues at 2D, he’d gotten to thinking.

 

He was so used to how Murdoc used to treat him that he was ready for the exact same to happen with the new guy. So much so, that he was surprised when Ace simply… treated him like an equal. Little day-to-day acts of simple human decency were enough to leave him dumbfounded for the first week or so.

 

Even then, it didn’t stop there. As time went on he’d realized just to what extent he’d deluded himself into thinking he was okay. Little things like Ace addressing him directly to ask a genuine question were enough to make him feel like he was going to cry. It was just astounding to him to truly realize what he’d been going through, and that he couldn’t see how shitty it was making him feel until it was over.

 

And in the car he’d come to realize just how much this meant to him. It finally clicked just what a big deal it was for him to be able to  _ breathe _ for the first time in.. in… well, as long as he could remember really.

 

Even through his clouded thinking, though, he knew Ace was still something different. That Ace treated him as more than just… another person, or another acquaintance. Ace treated him like someone that really meant something; Ace truly considered him something of a friend.

 

It was obvious in his actions, and Stuart would forever be grateful for the olive branch he’d extended to him in this time. It was so freeing to be able to laugh carelessly with him, to act like an idiot and not have to worry about anything. And even when he had gotten hurt, Ace was there to pick him back up and dust him off.

 

And that meant more than Ace would never know.

 

Ace made him feel  _ human _ again. Made him feel like he mattered, that he meant something outside of his fame. And there was nothing he’d ever be able to do to repay that, so for now he’d settled on a simple “thanks”. He knew Ace would think it was just for cleaning off his forehead, but that word, uttered in that moment, held a heavy meaning within Stuart that he would most likely carry with himself for years to come.

 

But they were home now, and the light trance that had settled over the car was for the most part broken. Ace gestured for Stuart to follow him, and led him inside and to the nearest bathroom- after dropping the cat food and collar off on the kitchen table.

 

Ace put down the toilet lid and sat Stuart down on it, and he watched him rummage through the cabinets.

 

Ace pulled out a nearly empty first aid kit and turned to Stuart, making a small frustrated noise. “These really need to get replaced,”

 

Stuart nodded and Ace looked at his face and frowned a little. “You didn’t keep the tissues there..”

 

“Oh. Whoops,” He’d honestly just had so many things flying through his head that he’d forgotten and let his hands fall to his lap after a couple minutes. He glanced in the mirror, finding a small amount of blood crusted to his skin. He didn’t really see what the big deal was, it wasn’t that much.

 

Ace wet a rag under the sink and gently swiped it over the cut, making it sting once more. He uttered an apology for the umpteenth time that night, and Stuart sighed.

 

“You don’t have to keep apologizing. It’s not your fault I’m hurt. If anything I should apologize to you for having to do all this,” 

 

Ace gave him an odd look and moved on to grab the ointment. 2D fidgeted a little- was ointment really necessary? He’d had much worse and come out just fine. He wasn’t sure why he was feeling so antsy all of a sudden, but he just… was. He chalked it up to tiredness and the headache that was starting to bloom behind his eyes.

 

Ace smeared the ointment over the cut with his thumb, and it gave a nice sort of cooling sensation. Stuart closed his eyes and sighed, and simply listened to Ace put everything away, opening his eyes once more when he heard the cabinet thump shut.

 

He stood up and they walked back to his bedroom, looking down at the- somehow- still sleeping kitten. 2D sighed and, not really caring that Ace was there, shucked off his jeans and t-shirt and crawled under the blankets.

 

He was a little confused when he didn’t hear Ace leave, and looked at him- he was crouching next to his bed petting the cat.

 

“You… wanna stay here tonight?” He wasn’t really sure what he expected, but it sure wasn’t for Ace to accept.

 

“Actually? I think I will- if you don’t mind. The way that room smells gives me a bit of a headache,”

 

Stuart smiled sleepily and held up the blanket. “Well, don’t be shy,”

 

He watched Ace self-consciously kick off his jeans and shimmy under the blanket with him. He let his face fall back into his pillow and dropped the blanket and- after a second- tugged the extra pillow from beside himself and handed it to Ace. Ace hummed softly and Stuart felt him adjust himself, and then they fell into an oddly comfortable silence.

 

Stuart shrugged to himself- they’d slept together on the couch, guess this wasn’t very different.

 

He wasn’t lucid for much longer after that.

 

~~~~~~

 

Ace sniffed and reached up to rub his nose, startled when he found a squeaking mass of fur in his hand. He opened his eyes and found himself face to face with Toothpick, and remembered quite suddenly that he’d gone to sleep in Stuart’s room last night. He sighed and gently pet the cat; he really needed to sort out what he was feeling before this went on any further.

 

What he’d been sure was just some sort of… fanboy crush, or something- was starting to feel like a whole lot more than that. And, though he didn’t wanna say for sure since this might just be him being overly hopeful, he felt like Stu might feel something for himself as well.

 

Really the only way to find out was to just talk to him, but Ace was much too nervous to do that. How would Stuart react if he didn’t feel the same way after him and Ace had shared a bed- er, couch- two times now?

 

That would make things painfully awkward at best- and he didn’t want to think of the worst. He sighed and kept petting Toothpick. “Relationships are hard, huh, kitty?”

 

“Yeah, ‘specially if you’re askin a cat for advice,” Stuart’s sleep-slurred voice spoke up.

 

Ace jumped, having not expected Stu to be awake, and felt himself blush. “Oh- I, uh- didn’t know you were up.”

 

“Cat slapped me in the face with ‘er tail. repeatedly.” Stuart cleared his throat and stretched leisurely, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

 

Ace chuckled and started petting her again. “We oughta feed her soon anyways,”

 

Stuart perked up. “And put the collar on!”

 

“Yeah, and put the collar on,” Ace sat upright and threw his legs over the edge of the bed, and pulled on his jeans from yesterday. 

 

Stuart got up and threw on some clothes, and scooped Toothpick up into his arms.  Ace opened the door for him since his hands were full of cat. They walked to the kitchen together, chatting about nothing in particular, and lavishing a very pleased Toothpick with pets.

 

When they got to the kitchen Noodle was already awake, looking at the collar. She looked up at 2D and Ace as they entered, smiling a little. “Morning, lovebirds,”

 

Ace scoffed and Stuart stuttered a little. “I- you- what’s that s’posed to mean?”

 

Noodle waved them off, and tossed the collar to Ace who- luckily- caught it. She leaned her chin onto one hand and watched them get the collar onto the wiggling kitten. Ace snorted when she papped Stu in the face with her tail- again.

 

“She really likes to do that, huh?” Ace clicked the clasp into place and Stu put her down.

 

“I’ll take it as a sign of love,” He beamed down at Toothpick, who seemed pretty indifferent to the collar after scratching at it a little. It looked even more ridiculous when it was on her, with such a large bow for such a small cat.

 

She trotted off, sniffing different things that were laying on the floor, and Ace watched her for a few more minutes before he walked into the kitchen. He rummaged around in the cabinets and was pleasantly surprised to find pancake mix.

 

“Y’want pancakes?” He turned around, holding up the box.

 

Stu nodded and Noodle sat up. “Oh, make one for me too!”

 

Ace smiled and turned back around. “‘Course, Noodle,”

 

Stuart kept trailing after Toothpick, making small cooing noises every now and then while Ace made a few pancakes. He went ahead and made a couple extra, assuming Russel would want some too, and while he cooked Stu poured out some food into a bowl for the cat. 

 

She crunched happily away, and Stu beamed proudly.

 

Ace smiled and brought a plate over to him while Noodle helped herself. They all settled in with their pancakes, and a comfortable silence descended on the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote the majority of this last night from two to four am JFKLDSAJFKf thanks for reading! lmao uhh u can find me on tumblr at v-amber-arts, where i post whenever i update so y'all will know and uhhh yeah lemme know whatchu thought in the comments <3


	6. Sparks and Fires

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ghehehgehghehehegfeh.....yes  
> i wrote 90% of this at like four am last night JKLGDFSJGBLKJ

Stuart stood up to put his plate in the sink, wincing and rubbing his hip a little- he was still sore from his fall yesterday. He’d been hoping the stiffness would go away as he got up and moved around, but no such luck; it only seemed to be getting worse.

 

He tried not to limp as he made his way into the kitchen and rinsed off his plate, but Ace noticed nonetheless.

 

“Stu, man, you hurt?” Ace stood up and started walking over, and 2D quickly waved him off.

 

“No, no I’m fine.” He quickly moved past Ace, gritting his teeth when it made his hip hurt worse. He wasn’t really sure why he was trying to hide his injuries all of a sudden; Ace had already shown time and again that he cared about him and wasn’t gonna get upset.

 

Still- there was some small, irrational part of his brain that told him he couldn’t be vulnerable. That vulnerability equaled getting taken advantage of, getting walked all over. Letting Ace take care of a small, insignificant cut last night had felt just fine, but maybe it was because it wasn’t a big deal- because a little cut wouldn’t hinder him, wouldn’t stunt his mobility.

 

Whatever the reason was, his sore hip was setting off alarm bells that the scrape hadn’t. And it was leaving him irrationally closed off. Ace started to reach for him again, and he panicked; he jerked away and rushed into his room, closing and locking the door behind himself. Maybe he just needed some time to cool off.

 

~~~~~~

 

Ace stood, dumbfounded, his hand still hanging in the air from reaching towards Stu. He turned his head to look at Noodle, who shrugged, seemingly just as clueless as he was.

 

Both their heads snapped to the doorway at the sound of Russel entering, who paused, a little startled at finding himself the center of attention.

 

“Uh- morning?” He looked from Noodle to Ace.

 

Ace jerked a thumb over his shoulder, and spoke softly. “Made some pancakes. Help yourself,” He left the room, brushing past Russel- who gave him a concerned look- and walked down the hall.

 

He knocked tentatively on Stuart’s door, and when he got no answer he sighed and turned to walk back into the kitchen. Noodle and Russel were talking softly, and stopped when he walked in. He could feel their eyes burning into his back as he grabbed his plate off the counter and washed it off, putting it on the drying rack. He chose to ignore them, and scooped Toothpick up off the floor where she was sprawled out. She made a small noise at being moved but otherwise sat placently in Ace’s arms.

 

He carried her into his room and set her on the floor, watching her trot around and sniff things. He sat in the bed and let his chin rest in his hands with a small sigh- Stuart probably just needed space; they’d been around each other nearly 24/7 the past few days. He must just tired be is all.

 

Still, Ace was a little upset and honestly didn’t know what to do with himself; he grabbed a loose thread on his blanket and snapped it off, waving it around and watching Toothpick chase it. He smiled softly and dropped the string, snorting when she started rolling around on it. He glanced around and spotted his bass in the corner, and figured he’d play for a little while; that should take his mind off things, right?

 

He picked it up and gave it an experimental strum, finding it needed to be tuned. Right, start with the E string then.

 

He plucked it, and it gave off a sour note.

 

What if he was coming on too strong?

 

Pluck.

 

What if he overwhelmed Stuart by moving too quickly?

 

Pluck.

 

What if Stu was just being friendly, and he got the wrong idea?   


 

Pluck. That’s one string tuned. Now for the A string.

 

Did Stuart think he was a creep? 

 

Pluck.

 

Was he trying to warn him to back off last night? When he said Ace “didn’t have to do all that” for him?

 

Pluck.

 

Really, he should have known better anyways. The man was probably straight for all he knew, they were just  _ friends. _

 

Pluck. That’s two strings down. Now the third.

 

Who did he think he was anyways, waltzing into the house of a world-famous band and thinking the frontman would fall for him?

 

Pluck.

 

It was just ridiculous.

 

Pluck.

 

He didn’t know why the notion even occurred to him in the first place.

 

Pluck. Three tuned, one to go. 

 

He just needed to give Stuart his space.

 

Pluck.

 

Needed to quit being so overbearing, quit suffocating him.

 

Pluck.

 

Honestly, it was a miracle he didn’t get fed up sooner.

 

Pluck. Now the bass was tuned.

 

He didn’t really feel like playing anymore, though.

 

He sighed and set the bass back in the corner, and grabbed his phone. He scrolled aimlessly through it, jumping from app to app in an attempt to take his mind off things, but he couldn’t stop thinking back to it all. Maybe he should apologize? Or check if Stu was okay?

 

He groaned and dragged a hand down his face. He really wasn’t gonna be able to stop his mind racing until he talked to him, was he?

 

He stood up and walked to the door. There was no way this was a good idea, but he was doing it nonetheless. He walked down the hall to Stuart’s door, sucked in a breath, and knocked.

 

Silence. Not even the sound of someone moving on the other side; Ace bit his lip, wondering if he should knock again. Or maybe he should just say something instead? Yeah, that sounded good.

 

“Hey, uh, Stu? It- it’s Ace. I was… just checking on you…” He stood there, still getting no response. A couple minutes passed, and he was considering walking away when the door cracked open.

 

“Why?”

 

Ace stopped, confused. “Why? Why what?”

 

“Why are you… what’s the point in- why are you  _ doing _ this?” Stuart seemed… hurt. Ace panicked a little- what did he do?

 

“I just- wanted to make sure you were okay?” Ace shuffled back a little, not really sure what to do; this only seemed to agitate Stuart further.

 

“I don’t- get it- why do you act like I’m some sort of obligation?” He seemed to be struggling to get his words out.

 

“Obligation? Stu, you’re my friend and I’m treating you as such, I don’t get why you’re making it such a big deal-”

 

“Because it  _ is _ a big deal! You’re doing all these things with me, for me, and to what end? For what purpose? What is it that you  _ want? _ ”

 

“I don’t want anything! Why can’t you just let me treat you nicely! What’s wrong with that!”

 

“I don’t know! It just- it’s not- I’m not-”

 

“Not what, Stuart?”

 

“Let me  _ finish! _ ” He sucked in a deep breath, and they both stared each other down. “Why do you care so much? What are you trying to get from me?”

 

“I- what? I care because you’re my  _ friend _ and that’s what friends  _ do. _ I’m doing these things because I want to see you  _ happy-” _

 

“BULLSHIT!” Stuart slammed his fist into the wall, and Ace jumped. “You wouldn’t- people don’t… treat me like this because they  _ want _ to, they do it because they  _ need _ to. They do it because I have something they want and they’re trying to get it.”

 

“Stu, that’s not-”

 

“No, it is. It fucking is. I’ve been through too much to be fooled into thinking otherwise. People don’t become friends with me. They become… they make me a pawn. In their stupid schemes, they- they use me. He  _ used me _ .”

 

“I… he…” Ace paused. Was this really about-? “Murdoc?”

 

Stuart sucked in a sharp breath and looked up. They made tense eye contact for five seconds and then he slammed the door shut. Ace jumped, staggering backwards, and flinched when a picture fell off the wall. Luckily, it didn’t shatter.

 

He stepped back up to the door. “Stu-pot?”

 

“Fuck off.”

 

He winced. Right, okay. Definitely needed to give him space. He turned and walked down the hall back to his room, and Noodle and Russel were left in the kitchen wondering what the hell just happened.

 

~~~~~~

 

Stuart stood on the other side of the door, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. His heart was absolutely racing and his hands were sweating and he was shaking and-

 

Breathe. Noodle told him he should breathe when he felt overwhelmed.

 

He sucked in a deep breath, and blew it out. In, and out. One more time and oh-

 

Oh god. What had he done? Ace had been treating him like a genuine friend and he’d- he’d

 

Okay. Back to square one. Deep breath in, slow breath out.

 

Ace had treated him like a genuine friend and he’d gone and blown him off because of his own paranoia, his own suspicious nature. It was just what came naturally to him after being with Murdoc all those years.

 

He groaned and buried his face in his hands, leaning against the wall and sinking to the floor. Ace had clearly shown he cared when Stu had freaked out in front of him the other night, when Ace had just- moved too quickly and he was brought back to rough times.

 

Why did he have to- just- be so stupid when it came to things like this? God, Ace had held him and comforted him and waited patiently for him to calm down and- why would Stuart go and be such an ass to him after that, why did he- god, Ace probably hated him now-

 

After he’d held him and whispered all those things to him. He told him it wasn’t his fault, he said he was perfect the way he was, he-

 

Stuart paused. He… he’d said he loved him. Oh god, he’d completely forgotten about that. He’d been keeping it in the back of his mind since the night he broke down and he’d just  _ forgotten _ about it like the absolute dunce he was.

 

He remembered shaking, sobbing into Ace’s chest and listening to the things he was whispering. He remembered hearing him say “I love you” and assuming Ace didn’t know he was listening. He remembered wondering if it was true, or if it was just something to placate him.

 

The past few days had been slowly convincing him Ace meant it, but he hadn't quite known how to approach the situation. And now he’d gone and screwed it all up.

 

He thought back, over the things he’d just said and… well, regret was definitely not a strong enough word for how he felt. He groaned. No shit Ace kept trying to check on him, the dude cared about him- most likely as more than a friend.

 

Why did Stuart push him away? They’d clicked immediately, formed an incredible friendship, and he’d taken a sledgehammer and driven a wedge into it.

 

Part of him wanted to go ask Noodle or Russel for advice, but the other part was stubbornly reminding him that he was a full grown man, he could take care of his own problems. He groaned again, aggravatedly rubbing his temples. He just couldn’t seem to settle on anything, could he?

 

Well, one thing was for sure, he couldn’t leave this be. There definitely needed to be something done, he just… wasn’t sure what. 

 

The thought of running into Ace’s room and proclaiming his love for him was… well, he couldn’t lie to himself, it honestly sounded like something he’d wanna do- but he knew realistically he wouldn’t, and that there were too many things that could go wrong with that anyways.

 

He had to quit acting like a child, quit acting like he had been when he’d snapped at Ace; he needed to slow down, and think.

 

So, he had a thing for Ace, and he was mostly sure Ace had a thing for him too. But he’d also just cursed the man out, and insisted that he didn’t want anything to do with him, nor trusted him.

 

And now he had to figure out how to tell Ace that he didn’t mean it.

 

~~~~~~

 

Alright. It’d been about an hour, and Stu had a plan.

 

Well, not really a plan so much as just… the will to burst in and apologize. But hey, close enough, right? He sighed and ran through his thought process one more time.

 

Bust in, apologize for being an ass, back out. Solid plan, right? Well, it was good enough, at least.

 

He psyched himself up, walked into the hall, and strode quickly down to Ace’s room, ignoring the slight ache in his hip. He threw the door open, and a very startled Ace looked at him from the bed where he was curled around Toothpick, who jumped up and hissed at the sudden noise.

 

“Ace! I’m sorry I was acting like an ass earlier and I snapped at you for no reason, it was uncalled for and I shouldn’t have taken out my frustrations on you, you’re a great friend and I’d hate to have thrown that all away just because I’m in a bad mood, and-”

 

“Woah, buddy- hey, slow down man,” Ace let go of Toothpick, who trotted off to the other side of the room, still huffy from being startled.

 

Ace also stood up, and walked over to Stuart. “Man, I should be apologizing to you, you just wanted some space and I didn’t give it to you,” He shrugged. “Everyone gets upset sometimes, life will go on."

 

Stuart smiled weakly and leaned against the doorframe, relaxing a little. “You’re too nice,”

 

Ace lightly bumped his shoulder. “Not nice enough.”

 

He sighed and walked across the room, sitting on Ace’s bed. “Really, though, I am sorry. I don’t…” He paused. Did he really want to get into this right now? Well, he’d end up saying it sooner or later, so might as well.

 

“I really appreciate uh- everything you’ve done for me. I know I’m not… the best at sayin thank-you, and stuff like that… I guess I was just a little scared.” Absolutely terrified, actually. “I didn’t expect-  _ this _ , y’know? With us.” He waved between them, and Ace nodded, an unspoken acknowledgement of their odd relationship.

 

“I… think I was just panicking earlier. I- now, I know that’s not an excuse, I’m just-” He fell silent and pulled his knees to his chest. Why did talking about this have to be so hard? “You’re important to me. Really important. I know I’ve only known you- what, a month now? But you… there’s definitely something there.”

 

He looked up and made eye contact with Ace once more. He looked anxious. “I think. It’s gonna take me a little while to be able to… get over all the things that- you know.” Stuart was starting to feel a little choked up. “I- he. Him. Yeah.” That seemed to be all he could get out.

 

Luckily Ace seemed to understand, and nodded once more.

 

Stu let his gaze fall on toothpick, who was curled up on a shirt in the corner. He thought back to how Ace was holding her when he burst in, before she’d leapt across the room, and felt a pang of sadness. He’d really hurt Ace, hadn’t he?

 

Of course, Ace wasn’t gonna admit to that, he was too selfless- but Stuart just… couldn’t let it stay at that. He couldn’t let him internalize all this, because he knew how much it hurt to do that. Before his mind could catch up with his actions he stood up and started walking over to Ace planning to- to do something, anything really.

 

To show him he cared.

 

He walked to Ace, grabbed his shoulders, and-

 

-and faltered. Could he really do this?  _ Should _ he really do this? What if it was a mistake, what if he-

 

Ace effectively shut his thoughts up when he grabbed his face, and closed the distance between them, kissing Stuart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHA BET U DORKS WERENT EXPECTING IT TO END LIKE THAT! AHAHF hheheahhe..............  
> you can find me on tumblr at v-amber-arts, lemme know what you thought in the comments <3 thanks for reading!


	7. Sunset

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we go pals, the final chapter! i had fun writing this and i hope yall had fun reading it <3
> 
> i know this chapter is short, it was really just to wrap everything up with a nice little bow on top, y'know?

Ace pulled back and looked at Stu, who simply stood there. He couldn’t seem to find his words right now- so he just stared at Ace. Of course, this led Ace to thinking he’d done the wrong thing.

 

“Shit- sorry, I- I thought- I read the situation wrong, I thought you’d-” He looked scared, regretful- and started to pull away.

 

Stuart surged forward, half-falling over in his hurry to hug Ace and smash their lips together again. Literally- it actually hurt a little. Their teeth clacked awkwardly together, and Ace pressed his forehead against Stuart’s and laughed breathlessly.

 

“So I take it you didn’t mind the kiss?” He was pretty much the only thing holding 2D up at the moment.

 

“Not at all,” Stu stood up and leaned in to kiss him again, but they both tilted their heads the same way and bumped noses.

 

Ace snorted and put a hand over his mouth, muffling his laugh. “We aren’t very good at this, are we?”

 

Stu chuckled. “You could say that again,”

 

Ace’s smile faded a little, and he looked to the side. “So you… really aren’t upset?”

 

Stuart sighed and let his arms drop to hold Ace’s hands instead. “No, Ace, I’m not upset. You’re fine,” He tugged Ace over to the bed and sat down.

 

“I think I was just havin one of those… anxiety-things, y’know? I shouldn’t have taken it out on you,” He rubbed the back of his neck, cringing a little. He’d have to make it up to Ace sometime.

 

He leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Sorry, Ace.” He smiled, watching him get mildly flustered.

 

“Alright well- if you’re sure. Next time let me know and I’ll help, yeah?” Ace smiled at him, squeezing his hand.

 

Stuart’s heart swelled and he couldn’t help smiling back as he nodded. “Yeah. That sounds nice,”

 

Ace looked like he was about to say something when Toothpick jumped up on the bed, making herself known. He chuckled and scratched under her chin, eliciting a purr. “Hey there baby girl, hi~”

 

Stuart snorted. “ _ Baby girl? _ What kind of name for a cat is that?”

 

Ace rolled his eyes. “She’s a baby, and she’s a girl. So she’s a baby girl,” He paused, looked at stu, and smirked. “Why, are you jeeallouuss?”

 

“Oh, as if!” They laughed together, and Ace got that look in his eye- the one he had right before Stuart found himself with a popcorn hat.

 

“That’s not a no… I can call you baby boy if you’d like,” He chuckled to himself and Stuart’s face flushed, making Ace laugh harder. “Oh, you like that?”

 

“Aaaceeeee stop,” Stuart did, in fact, like it- but he wasn’t about to tell Ace that. It was just embarrassing.

 

“Why would I stop, baby boy? Baby blue? Blue bird?” Ace leaned in, clearly enjoying this.

 

Stu groaned and covered his face with his hands, falling back on the bed. “I can think of pet names too you.. you… cucumber.”

 

Ace wheezed so loud it wouldn’t surprise 2D if he had asthma. “ _ Cucumber??? _ ”

 

Stu sat back up. “Well, I dunno what to call you!” He watched Ace continue laughing and then- it came to him. “Unless.. you want me to call you daddy,”

 

Ace choked on his laugh and whipped his head around to look at Stuart, who met his gaze evenly. Ace seemed to be analyzing him, seeing if he was serious. After a few seconds 2D cracked, smiling slightly.

 

“You… no. Absolutely not,” Ace shook his head. “No way, you dork, don’t even joke about that.” His scolding wasn’t exactly effective with how he was laughing throughout.

 

Stu laughed in response. “Alright, cucumber it is,” He stood up and headed for the door. “I should, uh. Go let Noodle know everything’s okay,”

 

“And Russel- he walked in just after you left.”

 

“Right, and Russel.” He walked out, gently shutting the door behind him.

 

~~~~~~

 

Ace sighed and collapsed heavily into the bed after 2D left. It really was a relief to know he wasn’t upset- and even  _ more _ of a relief that he hadn’t gotten upset after Ace kissed him. For a second there, he thought he’d majorly fucked up after Stu froze in place.

 

He grabbed Toothpick and pulled her into his chest, giggling lightly. He just- couldn’t really believe it’d all happened. Really, he felt like he was gonna wake up any moment and it’d have all just been a dream or something.

 

Today had already been a wild rollercoaster of emotions, and they were only a couple hours into the day. He continued stroking Toothpick, who’d curled up on his chest purring. This cat… was definitely a blessing sent from above.

 

Really, she’d sort of been the catalyst for their relationship. If she hadn’t come along, they wouldn’t have run out to the store to get cat food- 2D wouldn’t have fallen over with the shopping cart, and he wouldn’t have hurt his hip.

 

They wouldn’t have had that fight, and they wouldn’t have had to make up which resulted in their kiss. They’d still be dancing awkwardly around each other if it wasn’t for this little lump of fur.

 

Ace grabbed her under her little cat armpits, and held her face to face with himself. “You, my friend, are a godsend.”

 

She yawned and pressed her paws to his face, stretching. He accepted this and was sat there letting her do her thing when Stu walked in.

 

“Alright, everyone’s- what are you doing.” 2D stopped in the doorway.

 

“We’re bonding,” Ace grinned at him, and he shrugged, walking fully into the room.

 

“If you say so,” He walked over to the bed and plopped down next to him. When he spoke, he seemed hesitant.

 

“Ace?”

 

“Yeah, Stu?”

 

“We should… go out.”

 

“What?” Ace sat up and set Toothpick down, a little confused. “I thought we… were?”

 

“No, no, I mean- on a date. A proper date. You know like, I dunno- to a picnic or something, just- someplace nice where we can relax.”

 

“That- sounds nice. Yeah, we should do that,” Ace smiled, glad Stuart was serious about this- about them. It was nice.

 

~~~~~~

 

They’d agreed on going to a park and having a little picnic, and had been there for a few hours now. Stuart had gotten Ace to start opening up about himself, talking about his past and his old ‘gang’, and he was proud.

 

Ace would stop every once in a while, apologizing for rambling about himself, and Stu would simply set him back on track; he was loving everything Ace said. There were certain topics that he got excited to talk about, and it was adorable; at one point he’d eagerly pulled out his pocket knife and shown him some tricks he could do with it.

 

The day had worn long, and the sun was beginning to set. 2D smiled and grabbed Ace’s hand, standing and pulling him to his feet. He’d chosen this park for a reason, and he was about to show Ace why.

 

“Come on, I gotta show you something,” 

 

Ace resisted a little, glancing down at their blanket. “We’re just gonna leave our stuff here?”

 

“If someone’s willing to steal that ratty old blanket and a few soggy sandwiches they probably need ‘em more than we do,” 2D gave Ace’s hand another little tug.

 

“Yeah, that’s fair,” Ace let Stuart lead him, and they walked hand in hand.

 

Stuart eagerly led him to a path that went up a small hill; he really hoped Ace liked this. It’d been what he was thinking of when he suggested they go on a date. The view would be spectacular, and hopefully as romantic as he was hoping for.

 

After a few minutes of winding around the brush, they reached the top of the hill. 2D sat Ace down, then curled up into his side. He pointed to the horizon, and spoke softly. “This is the best place to watch the sunset,”

 

Ace nodded and wrapped an arm around Stuart’s waist, and they settled in to watch the sunset.

 

After only a few minutes the sky was streaked with incredible golds and pinks, a lovely dusty-rose color that bathed everything in a warm glow. It was absolutely everything Stuart hoped it would be; he looked up at Ace, and was even happier to find a starstruck expression on his face.

 

He was absolutely incredible in this lighting. The golden-pink rays of fading sunlight gave him a soft look, accentuated even further by his expression. 2D… could hardly believe this was real.

 

He was here, with this beautiful man, and they were together. It felt like a dream, and the only thing assuring him this was real was Ace’s warmth and presence beside him. He reached up and ran his hands through his hair, watching how the light played off the dark strands, and Ace turned to him with a soft smile.

 

They made eye contact for a few seconds, taking each other in, and as the last bit of the light was fading from the sky, they kissed.

 

Stuart hoped they stayed together for a long, long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and there we go. thank you for reading, let me know what you thought <3 you can find me on tumblr at v-amber-arts, and... dont tell anyone but.....
> 
> i have a sequel planned for this fic ;) so stay tuned <3


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